Join us on September 18th for the best business networking event in the region. Whether you’re a finalist, interested in entering the awards next year or keen to rub shoulders with the most influential business people of the Blackmore Vale – come along and celebrate the best of local business at our business awards ceremony. Everyone’s invited – just book a ticket and come along!

The evening will kick off 7pm with drinks reception followed by dinner served at 7.30pm. There’ll be plenty of time to network and mingle before the winners of the 2014 business awards are announced. Our categories aim to celebrate the entire spectrum of local business and span from Business Woman of the Year to the Leisure and Tourism Business of the Year.

The night promises to be full of entertainment with a roaring 1920s theme complete with flappers, Charleston dancers, a casino and disco.

The evening will take place at the family owned George Albert Hotel – perfectly located between Yeovil and Dorchester and just a short drive from a selection of picturesque county villages and Dorset’s famous Jurassic coast. In 2013, all of the hotel’s hard work paid off when it was awarded a prestigious AA rosette and became one of the top 10 per cent of hotels in the UK to earn the achievement. The hotel offers quality accommodation with 39 en-suite bedrooms but is also available to hire for weddings, business meetings, corporate events and conferences.

The awards evening will be presented by celebrity host Penny Mallory, who is best known for being the first woman in the world to drive a World Rally Car. After troubled beginnings, Penny followed her passion for rally driving and became a champion rally driver, driving everything from Mk2 Escorts and Sienna Cosworths to Escort Cosworths. Within four years of sitting in her first rally car, Penny became the National Ladies Champion Rally Driver in 1993 and went onto become one of the UK’s top rally drivers.

After 12 years of competing, including work as a precision stunt driver, Penny became a television presenter on a number of different driving programs, including Driven, Accident Blackspot, Classic Car Club and the Used Car Roadshow.

Today, Penny is a highly regarded keynote speaker, performance coach and motivational speaker and draws on her journey from “a total waster” to the National Ladies Champion Rally Driver.

Penny has also been selected as a Patron of Modern Muse, a national movement to inspire the next generation of women.

Penny is pleased to be hosting the awards and said: “It's always a pleasure to attend an Awards evening and spend time chatting with businesses who are achieving such great results in the region. Thank goodness for the people who relentlessly push limits and inspire others!”

Penny will be presenting the awards ceremony held at The George Albert Hotel, Evershot on 18th September.

To attend the ceremony, visit www.blackmorevale.co.uk/businessawards to book your ticket.